Black Stars Urge Chris Rock Not to Host the Oscars

Mark Davis—WireImageChris Rock presenting at the Academy Awards in 2012.

Chris Rock is to host a ceremony with only white nominees for acting

Tyrese Gibson and 50 Cent asked Chris Rock to step down as the Oscars host over social media on Wednesday.

The musicians both posted to Instagram, adding their voices to the disappointment and frustration over the lack of any diversity in the Academy Awards slate of nominated actors.

“Chris please do not do the oscars awards. You mean a lot man, don’t do it. Please,” 50 Cent wrote in his caption of a photo of Rock. Gibson posted a screenshot of articles questioning whether Rock will continue to host amidst the controversy over the Oscars failing to recognize black actors with nominations for two years in a row.

“There is no joke that he can crack. There is no way for him to seize the moment and come into this thing and say, ‘I’m going to say this and say that I’m going to address the issue but then I’m still going to keep my gig as the host,’” Gibson told People. “The statement that you make is that you step down.”

Other prominent Oscar attendees have expressed their disappointment and said they will not attend the ceremony. In response to the outcry, Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs said she is “heartbroken” over the lack of diversity in the group of nominees and pledged to alter the makeup of the Academy membership.

Rock has not responded publicly to the calls. The day after nominees were announced, he posted a commercial promotion for the show to Twitter:

YOU BROKE TIME.COM!

Dear TIME Reader,

As a regular visitor to TIME.com, we are sure you enjoy all the great journalism created by our editors and reporters. Great journalism has great value, and it costs money to make it. One of the main ways we cover our costs is through advertising.

The use of software that blocks ads limits our ability to provide you with the journalism you enjoy.
Consider turning your Ad Blocker off so that we can continue to provide the world class journalism you have become accustomed to.